Non-GMO documentary in the works

Organic Connections, the magazine for Natural Vitality, outlines a new film on the horizon regarding the non-GMO movement.

In light of the recent protest for a GMO-free Boulder, Colo. near the New Hope 360 offices, it’s hard to fathom that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are not on the national public radar. However, the reality is that GMOs have barely scraped the surface of mainstream news. The majority of public outcry has circulated on independent online sites, third-party advocacy groups, and social media. Indeed, the natural food twitter feed is certainly buzzing with non-GMO sentiments.

But as reported by Organic Connections magazine, the greater part of the United States remains wholly uninformed of the controversy over GMOs, let alone what they actually are. In an effort to spread this awareness, filmmaker Jeremy Seifert is currently crafting a yet-untitled documentary aimed at carrying GMOs into the mainstream arena. He explains, “I have been discovering that there is almost no public awareness of GMOs. Of course there is the very small percentage of people in this country who shop at farmers’ markets and read Michael Pollan, and those on the frontline of food and sustainable agriculture, but that really is a small handful of individuals.”

The impetus for the project was sparked in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti when Monsanto, the world’s largest biotechnology company, donated 475 tons of GMO seeds to the nation. Haitians unexpectedly refused the seeds, threatening to burn them. “[The Haitian] public demonstration was really informative and awakened me in a whole new way to the issue,” says Seifert.